Your Guide To Everthing Saab

The Saab 9-4X has just been unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show, signaling the Swedish brand’s foray into the burgeoning luxury crossover market. To help make this vehicle even more attractive, Saab is throwing in free Apple iPads for the first 500 people that pre-order the new model.

On the pre-order website, potential 9-4X buyers will be able to reserve their vehicle and place an order for an iPad, which will cost them $500, plus tax. If these customers ultimately take delivery of a new 9-4X, they will be discounted the $500 they’ve already paid. For those that don’t take delivery, dealers will refund their vehicle deposit and they get to keep the iPad, which they already paid for. [click to continue…]

The all-new 2012 Saab 9-4X is slated to make its official debut at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. However, images and details of the new crossover have already hit the Web.

Based largely on the Cadillac SRX, it’s powered by the same 3.0-liter V6 and turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 engines. The former produces 265 horsepower while the latter produces 300 hp. Both units are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The base 9-4X is available with front- or all-wheel drive, but the turbocharged model is only available with Saab’s torque-vectoring XWD all-wheel-drive system. The sporty Aero models will feature a DriveSense adaptive chassis system which delivers three different drive setups: Comfort, Sport and Eco. [click to continue…]

For premium automakers, competition is tougher than ever. While most brands are leveraging technology to help make their products stand out, automakers are also rethinking their customer service in an effort to give themselves a slight edge.

Delivering a unique buying experience is one of the ways Saab is hoping to stand out. Customers ordering a 2011 Saab will soon be able to watch their vehicles be built in real-time. [click to continue…]

While Saab is celebrating the launch of its all-new, range-topping 9-5 sedan, it’s already planning for the next 9-3. Competing against other premium compacts like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the BMW 3 Series, Saab is looking to make the next 9-3 a bigger success when it goes on sale.

One of the strategies Saab is considering is expanding its sales into growing markets. According to Bloomberg, Saab is eying up-and-coming markets like China, Russia, India and Mexico, as the next frontiers in distribution. [click to continue…]

Earlier in the week, it was confirmed that that Saab and BMW were in talks regarding component sharing. It has now been confirmed that Saab will indeed buy BMW engines, presumably for the next-generation 9-3 sedan or the upcoming 9-2.

Starting in 2012, Saab will use a BMW-sourced turbocharged 1.6-liter four cylinder engine. These units are currently used by the entire Mini lineup. Of course, the engines are expected to receive plenty of tweaks before being applied to any Saab model, but additional specs have yet to be announced. [click to continue…]

After rumors that Spyker Cars and BMW were evaluating component sharing, talks between the two automakers were recently confirmed. Reports indicate that the next Saab 9-3 sedan could get a BMW engine under the hood.

The next-generation 9-3 is slated to arrive in 2012. The new model is expected to grow in size, and it could feature a more powerful BMW-sourced engine producing around 220 horsepower. Rumors also suggest that a BMW engine could also find its way beneath the hood of the new 9-5 as well. [click to continue…]

The brand that was “Born from Jets”—and nearly “Killed by GM”—continues to taxi down the runway toward rebirth, following news that dealers have now started taking orders for the Saab 9-3X.

It’s true there’s no pricing info yet, and that the orders won’t be literally submitted until/unless the Spyker/Saab deal goes through, but it’s still a step in the right direction for the company. [click to continue…]

As Spyker and General Motors get ever closer to finalizing the Saab deal, Spyker management is getting ever closer to finalizing Saab’s future product plans. The big news: Saab lovers can expect an all-new lineup when the reorganized company begins selling vehicles again later this year.

Saab’s relationship with General Motors has been questionable at best. What fueled GM’s acquisition of Saab was the demand to have a premium European brand to compete with Ford and its Euro brands – none of which Ford owns today. But Saab was a low-volume brand when it was purchased, and under GM’s management Saab remained low-volume.

In addition to being unable to produce impressive sales, Saab increasing produced substantial losses, which made its eventual sale (or shut down) almost inevitable. But little has been mentioned about the 218 Saab dealers in U.S., which are going to be closed as well. [click to continue…]

Saab has entered a precarious situation since the collapse of the deal to sell the brand from General Motors to Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg. Giving a deadline of only one month to decide what to do with the brand, GM has sought ways to jettison the brand from its increasingly smaller umbrella of auto monikers.

The latest development comes from China’s Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co. Ltd, also know as BAIC. The company has officially purchased tooling and technology for the existing Saab 9-3 and the 9-5. In addition, Saab will help the Chinese automaker produce additional BAIC vehicles. [click to continue…]